"Our Savior And Scarecrows: How To Fight Your Fears” Series

One of God’s staple, primary commands to His followers is simply: “Do not fear.”

It is interesting but did you know that the phrase: “Do not fear or Fear not” occurs over 300 times in the Bible and in some translations it actually occurs 365 times—some say 1 for every day of the year.

Here’s the facts: Fears are real and natural. Fears may leave us unsettled, insecure, doubting our sanity and self-worth, having sleep problems or health problems, worrying about tomorrow or even wondering if there will be a tomorrow.

The issue we want settled is simple – “How do we avoid fear when I can? How do I address fear when it comes? What can we learn from its reality?

God promises to comfort us in our fear if we seek him when we are afraid. We have the confident assurance that he is with us in any circumstance.

Psalm 46: 1–2- “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.”

When things are unfamiliar and uncomfortable we often sense the emotion of fear. It creeps up on us. As a matter of fact, for some of us, when things get all jacked up in our lives our default setting is fear and discouragement.

If that’s like you, you are like Abraham. Isn’t it interesting that God called a fearful man to be the Father of Faith?

God didn’t call Abraham to be the Father of Faith because He was a spiritual giant; quiet to contrary, He called Him because He was human, yet willing to be molded, melted, and changed.

Are you? Are you willing to let God get all up in your life and create something new? God does this by simply being God. He changes our fear to faith by helping us accept things about Him that we struggle to accept.

Today, I want you to accept some things about God that will turn your life upside down and push the delete button on your fears.

Transitional Sentence: What do we have to accept “about God” that deletes our fears?

I. God is Not Just Leading us; He is Sovereignly Lord Over Us

vs. 9-10- “Then Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev.10 Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a time, because the famine was severe in the land. 11 It came about, when he [h]was approaching Egypt, that he said to his wife Sarai, “See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well for me because of you, and that ]I may live on account of you.”

Explanation:

Abram does not come out of the box as a man of faith. As studied before, God called Abram when He was in the land of Ur and told him to “Go forth from your country, and to leave your relatives, and ...your fathers house...” Genesis 12: 1

Yet, according to Genesis 11: 31, it appears that Abram did not do what God said. Instead of leaving his relatives and father, his Father led him out and went half-way to the Promised land and settled in Haran.

His earthly father was leading; not His heavenly Father.

Yet, in Genesis 11:32 the day came when Abram’s earthly father died, and Abram began to lead.

In verses 7-8, we get a GPS (God’s positioning system) report of where Abram went after the Lord appeared to Abram. Verse 8 says that he: “...preceded from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east...”

At this point we read that “He built and altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the Lord.”

Abram was praying and walking. The Spirit was leading and Abram was following. It seemed that Abram was finally “in gear” on the “right track” --- he was walking by faith and according to verse 9: “Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev.”

Yet, verse 10 happens. The Bible says: “Now there was a famine in the land...”

Can you imagine what this was like for Abram? God had promised to take to a new land. God promised to bless Him. Look at verse 2-3. God says: “I will bless you.” I will make you a blessing.”

Now in the midst of these promises of blessing, comes what seems to be several curses:

a) There was a famine in the land- Can you imagine what this was like? Abram expected to